Seminars in Hearing Research (11/21/24) - Joshua Alexander
Seminars in Hearing Research (11/21/24) - Joshua Alexander
| Author: | M. Heinz |
|---|---|
| Event Date: | November 21, 2024 |
| Hosted By: | Maureen Shader |
| Time: | 12:00 - 1:00 pm |
| Location: | Virtual |
| Contact Name: | Shader, Maureen J |
| Contact Email: | mshader@purdue.edu |
| Open To: | All |
| Priority: | No |
| School or Program: | Non-Engineering |
| College Calendar: | Show |
Seminars in Hearing Research
Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024
Location: Nelson Hall, Room 1215
Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Speaker: Joshua Alexander,Associate Professor, SLHS
Title: Minimizing Disruptions, Maximizing Recall: The Role of Sudden Sound Control in Hearing Aids
Abstract: This study explored if a novel hearing aid algorithm designed to reduce the impact of both sudden loud and soft sounds can enhance auditory-cognitive outcomes in individuals with hearing loss by enabling smoother sentence recall and storage amidst challenging listening environments. Participants completed a comprehensive audiological evaluation and cognitive assessment before engaging in a listening experiment to understand the effects of various sound environments on speech perception. Participants listened to recorded sentence pairs embedded with sudden loud (e.g., gunshot, door slam) and soft (e.g., keyboard typing, footsteps) sounds that, although unlikely to mask the speech, were hypothesized to interfere with sentence storage and retrieval processes. Four settings for sudden sound reduction were evaluated (off, low, high, and maximum), to investigate if the novel algorithm might improve cognitive processing by mitigating the disruptive effects of unexpected sounds. Performance was measured by having participants recognize, store, and retrieve sentences under each condition, while subjective ratings captured their preferences for each sound reduction setting. Preliminary results indicate that while most participants preferred the “maximum” setting for sudden sound reduction, only a subset demonstrated measurable improvements in speech comprehension and recall, most often with the “high” setting. The discussion will explore whether specific cognitive and auditory factors distinguish these individuals from others, contributing to an emerging approach — “precision audiology” — that tailors hearing aid settings to individual cognitive and perceptual profiles for optimal benefit.
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The working schedule is available here: https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_schedule
The titles and abstracts of the talks will be added here: https://purdue.edu/TPAN/hearing/shrp_abstracts